OUTCOMES OF UNIT EFFECTIVENESS IN RELATION TO THE LEADERSHIP ROLE OF NURSE MANAGERS IN CRITICAL CARE NURSING.
Contributors: University of California, Los Angeles.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 238
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Business Administration, Management.
Description: A predictive correlation design was used to examine the relationship between three independent (predictor) variables: (1) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing leadership, communication and problem-solving skills (caregiver interaction construct; (2) ICU leadership behaviors and practices; and (3) ICU situational leadership styles to four dependent (outcome) variables (decreased staff nurse turnover, and perceived effectiveness in recruiting and retaining staff nurses, in the technical quality of care and in meeting family member needs. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data from 645 subjects (81 nurse managers, 454 staff nurses and 110 physicians) in ICUs in 49 acute care hospitals within 300 miles of Los Angeles.

The results suggest that the nurse managers self-perceptions of their leadership characteristics, communication and problem-solving skills did influence their perceived effectiveness in recruiting and retaining staff nurses (r = 0.40) and in the technical quality of patient care (r = 0.45). The data also suggests that staff nurses and physicians perceptions of the nurse manager's leadership characteristics and skills were important in the same two outcomes (r = 0.45; and r = 0.47 respectively) as well as meeting family member needs (r = 0.36).

Nurse managers who role model leadership behaviors and practices also perceived themselves as meeting family member needs (r = 0.35). Staff nurse and physicians perceptions of the nurse manager's leadership behaviors and practices were also associated with perceived effectiveness in recruiting and retaining staff nurses (r = 0.30) and in the technical quality of patient care (r = 0.46).

Eight predictor variables were regressed on: (1) Staff nurse turnover (no variance explained); (2) Recruitment and retention (ICU beds, leadership, communication and problem-solving) explained 40% of the variance; (3) Technical quality of care (all three subject group perceptions of nurse manager leadership, communication and problem-solving characteristics and the staff nurse and physician perceptions of the nurse manager behaviors and practices) explained 44% of the variance; and on (4) Meeting family member needs (staff nurse and physician perceptions of the nurse managers leadership skills) explained 23% of the variance.

The results of this study: (1) Highlight the importance of continued efforts to understand the relationship of ICU leadership styles to outcomes of unit effectiveness; and (2) Support the position that the ICU nurse manager's leadership characteristics, behaviors and practices do affect unit outcomes.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: B, page: 4237.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, 1995.

School code: 0031.